REPLAY

And a personal hello to carpet-fitter Bernard Opportunity of Dalton! (He's the only one who ever reads this box, you know.)

Codemasters
£14.99
0926 814132
Reviewer: Rich Pelley

Yikes! just how am I supposed to set about reviewing sixteen Codemasters' games in around 600 words? Or 572, by now. Do I attempt to summarise each one in a couple of brief but uninformative sentences? Or do I talk about the compilation in general, throw in a few comments on the state of the software industry, and reminisce about days gone by when rubber keys were considered an innovation and Richard and David were but a glint in the milkman's eye? Or then again, how do my chances look of contriving enough 'ors' so that all but the conclusion of this review consists of ridiculous suggestions of how I might actually write it? Not high, it has to be said.

Whichever way I choose, the burning question on my mind is whether or not I actually have to load up all sixteen games, or whether I can just look at the (C64) screenshots on the back of the box and guess? I know what my morals tell me, but that wouldn't be fair on you. So...

(Some time later). Phew, I'm glad... (Don't try that 'Some time later' business with me, Pelley. We know you. About thirty seconds later whilst you glanced at the packagin ', more like it. Now give me that box and do it properly. Ed) (A far longer time later than the passage of time conveyed between the previous two paragraphs.) Phew. I'm really glad that's over. Super Robin Hood still plays well after all these years, and I was actually quite intrigued to see if I could still remember what to do on Ghost Hunters. I couldn't.

Actually, you may well be wondering exactly what games you are getting for your money, and it's probably about here that I should tell you. In the straight one-directional shoot-'em-up department we have Sky High Stuntman (in a plane), Terra Cognita (in a spaceship), KGB Super Spy (in a helicopter) and Arcade Flight Simulator (in another plane).

On the slightly more innovative side, but still carrying forth the shoot-'em-up torch, we have SAS Combat (a sort of Commando/Ikari Warriors walk-a-little-man-about-and- shoot-things affair), Kami Kaze where you have to pick off each baddy in turn and keep returning to your base, Mig 29 providing some light relief in the form of a fly-a-plane-into-the-screen Afterburner clone, and Operation Gunship, which scrolls multi-directionally as you fly around attempting to rescue your men.

Then there are the arcade adventures - the aforementioned Super Robin Hood and the notably monochrome Ghost Hunters. Both games were around before the idea of an egg with legs as the main character had even been conceived. And in the miscellaneous section we have: Super Hero - a kind of obviously playing 3D isometric Head Over Heels clone, Super G-Man (a bit like Jetpac), Guardian Angel - a beat-'em-up (which was supposed to be Freddy Hardest 2, I think), Frankenstein Jnr (an almost-3D almost-arcade adventure), 3D Starfighter and our very own Adam 'Globetrotter' Waring's Ninja Massacre - a cheap and nasty Gauntlet rip-off.

And I'm afraid that in all fairness, cheap and nasty is the definitely the main theme of this compilation. Codemasters could have easily included sixteen, if not thirty-two. far better games from their back catalogue. But then again, they probably didn't want or need to; sixteen games for under a quid each seems quite appealing whatever their standard. And it's for this reason, and I would hope for this reason only, that I expect Smash 16 will indeed be a smash. It's a bargain, whatever way you look at it.

Label: Codemasters
Memory: 48K/128K
Tape: 3.99
Reviewer: Paul Davis

As programmers become more and more ambitious with their expectations of our beloved Speccy, it's nice to treat the old Sinclair to a bit of a break every now and then. Codemasters' Smash 16 package does just that. In fact it's a lot like an adventure holiday when all's said and done: A bit of climbing here, a spot of exploration there and some flying around in a MIG 29 fighter plane, battling it out with crackpot enemies elsewhere.

OK, so you won't find that last particular option this side of a Hoseasons holiday camp but the point is that Codemasters' arcade hits offers more variety than you'd care to wave an M16 at!

There's a long list of titles here, some of which you may already be familiar with. 'Sky High Stuntman' is typical of Codies' odd sense of humour, casting the player as a luckless, airborne stuntman trying to earn a living. The cameras roll as the player soars skyward to make the most exciting cinema possible. In the name of realism the merciless director has had all the aircraft equipped with real ammo! Should the stuntman make a fatal mistake the director shouts 'CUT' and the poor guy must start all over again.

Dangerous business is where you find it, though, and the pilot of the helicopter in 'KGB SUPER SPY' knew he was facing death the moment he took the controls. His mission? To rescue as many hostages as possible, blast the enemy away in time honoured tradition and reap the rewards (ie new bits and pieces for his trusty whirly-bird). And they criticise Al' for his long-time devotion to playing his bass!

Remaining air borne for a few more Russian moments (Codies really do like Ivan don't they), 'M1G29' must rank as one of the bettertitles available for the Spectrum, ridiculous budget price-tag or not. Screaming over a variety of landscapes in 'G-Loc' mode, in mortal combat with enemy fighter pilots, this is one exciting ride end it isn't easy!

The trials and tribulations endured to become a true Ninja Master are many. The potential Shadow Warrior must suffer years of aggravation if the ultimate goal is to be obtained. So, in order to release some of the pent-up frustrations built up over the years, the average Ninjitsu devotee might well venture forth on a 'Ninja Massacre'. Although this game is one of the least visually impressive of the bunch it still offers a few hours of shuriken shenanigans to keep avid beat-'em-up fanatic going.

Of course the most revered masters of stealth in the world are our own SAS. In 'SAS Combat' the Code Masters have opted for an overhead perspective, much in the style of the classic Commando coin-op. The action here is much slower and not nearly as frantic but is a good excuse for an all out, Gung-Ho, budget blaster if ever there was one!

'Terra Cognita' is a bit of a strange one, at first it's difficult to understand just what the heck is going on but it looks good. 'Guardian Angel is quite an adequate attempt at a Final Fight style beat-em-up: Kami Kaze, as the tile suggests, is a shoot-em-up aimed at the terminally self-destructive amongst us as the fighter plane under control is required to dive bomb itself into various buildings to complete every mission.

The other titles, namely: 3D Starfighter. Arcade Flight, Ghost Hunters, Super G Man, Super Hero, Super Robin Hood and Operation Gunship are of similar quality to those mentioned in a touch more detail above. Are the words VALUE FOR MONEY passing through peoples' skulls yet? They should be! At a little over one sov per title there's no doubt that Codemasters' Smash 16 package is an offer most cannot afford to refuse unless, with such old games, you already have quite a lot of them!

ALAN:
Lorks! You can always rely on the Codemasters. These games represent a nice slice of history and if you're not familiar with them I'd say you're missing out on some great value fun for modest outlay. Nothing very modern but still far better than a poke in the eye, and no mistake!